TDL: a transformation description language from feature model to use case for automated use case derivation

Software product line engineering (SPLE) is a widely adopted approach to systematic software reuse. One basic research issue in SPLE is the product derivation problem, which focuses on how to derive software products from reusable software assets efficiently. In this paper, we focus on a sub-problem of product derivation: the problem of automated use case derivation, i.e. deriving the use cases of a software product in an automated way. We take a feature-oriented approach to this problem, an approach involving two components: a feature model, and the transformation information from the feature model to a set of use cases. In particular, we propose a transformation description language (TDL) to specify the transformation information from a feature model to a set of related use cases, and to support automated derivation of use cases corresponding to a valid feature model configuration. In addition, we also propose a set of criteria to check the validity of a TDL program. Three case studies have been conducted to demonstrate the usability of TDL and the feasibility of the automated use case derivation process based on TDL programs.